Why Lisa Demuth wants to be Minnesota’s next governor
What would Lisa Demuth change as Minnesota governor – and how have her own experiences shaped the way she would lead the state?
Minnesota Star Tribune senior politics writer Briana Bierschbach sits down with Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, the Republican nominee for governor, for an extended conversation about her childhood, her path into politics and what she would do differently if elected in November.
Demuth discusses growing up with a single mother who relied for a time on public assistance, experiencing racism as a biracial child in central Minnesota and surviving breast cancer. She also lays out her plans to reduce taxes and government spending, address fraud in state programs and change Minnesota’s approach to mining, health care and other major issues.
Bierschbach presses Demuth on the tradeoffs behind her proposals, including where she would cut spending to pay for tax reductions, what responsibility legislative leaders bear for fraud that occurred while they were in office and how she would respond when President Donald Trump pursues policies she believes are hurting Minnesotans.
The conversation is part of a special Essential Minnesota series featuring interviews with candidates in Minnesota’s 2026 statewide races. We have invited DFL gubernatorial nominee Amy Klobuchar to join us for a separate interview covering the same core issues.
Essential Minnesota is hosted by Melissa Townsend. This special episode is hosted by Briana Bierschbach, senior politics writer and author of the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Hot Dish politics newsletter.
For more on the 2026 midterm elections, visit the Minnesota Star Tribune’s voter guide: https://www.startribune.com/whats-on-my-ballot-for-the-2026-general-election/601879868.
00:00 Meet Lisa Demuth
00:57 Growing up with a single mom
04:20 Experiencing racism as a child
06:36 How Demuth entered politics
09:18 Why she wants to be governor
12:31 Her plan to make Minnesota more affordable
17:18 Trump’s tariffs and Minnesota
18:18 How Demuth would tackle fraud
20:45 What responsibility does Demuth bear for fraud?
22:32 Rethinking Minnesota’s safety net
23:35 Mining and the Boundary Waters
25:12 Guns and school safety
26:31 Medicaid and health care
28:15 Protecting rural hospitals
29:12 How surviving breast cancer shaped her
30:29 Where Demuth would break with Trump
31:45 How would Lisa Demuth govern?
32:39 Being a Republican in Minnesota
33:37 Demuth’s pitch to voters
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